3 Miami Heat players whose stock is rising, 1 star whose is falling

Riser: Jaime Jaquez Jr.

After hitting the rookie wall, Jaime Jaquez Jr. seems to have climbed over it. Over his last five games, he’s averaging 13.4 points on 60.5% shooting, 5.2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.4 steals. 

This after scoring in single digits in nine of the previous 14 games. A groin strain that sidelined him in January didn’t help matters, but it’s also not surprising for a rookie used to playing a college-length season to sputter late in the dog days of the schedule.

Jaquez has gotten himself out of the mud. He did it by doing the little things that put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation after the first two months of the season. His rebounding numbers have ticked up. He’s cutting more. In Oklahoma City on Friday, he used his strength and patience to score around the basket despite Chet Holmgren’s presence. He used his pump fakes to bait Holmgren into a foul and later scored over him with a crafty hook shot.

Erik Spoelstra is back to trusting Jaquez to close games and run offense, especially with Tyler Herro sidelined with a foot injury. The rookie seems to be a lock for Miami’s playoff rotation.